1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic medical chart system, and an apparatus and method for data processing. More specifically, it relates to an electronic medical chart system that particularly includes: an inputting unit for preparing an electronic medical chart; and an information processor for the electronic medical chart, in accordance with computerization in medicine in hospitals and the like, and corresponding apparatus and method for data processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, computerization has been advanced in medical use, in hospitals and the like as a result of improvement and the spread of information processing technology. If, in particular, a medical chart, which is the core of medical information, is digitized, it is to be expected that the information can be actively shared between a patient and medical institution, and between medical institutions, and more effective medicine can be realized. However, there is the fact that such digitalization of medical charts has not been advanced as to be expected.
In many electronic medical chart systems, it is troublesome to switch a hand between a keyboard and a mouse during medical practice, difficult to draw an affected part, and impossible to completely input essentially necessary information as the medical chart, and input contents are limited.
Accordingly, in reality, a method is employed in which a doctor or other person in charge inputs contents handwritten in a notebook or paper medical chart, following the medical practice. However, since a predetermined format is generally prepared on a screen for input, there is a problem that input is not allowed without converting and confirming correlation of the item to which the respective contents of handwriting are inputted on a screen.
Additionally, in the electronic medical chart, it is important to ensure security such as protection of personal information (privacy) and prevention of falsifying data.
In order to solve such problems, a hand-writing electronic medical chart system has already been proposed that detects handwriting data representing a time change of a coordinate of a pen point on a medical voucher (medical chart) to prepare the electronic medical chart by text recognition based on the handwriting data (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-141537).
In a constructing system of an electronic medical chart disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-141537, a written medical chart is prepared by entering necessary items in a medical chart constituted by digital paper with an electronic pen, with which inputting and reading of texts is possible, and data input in the electronic medical chart is made based on the entries in the written medical chart. The written medical chart is housed in a managing archive so as to be retrieved at random, and the electronic medical chart data is stored in a storage unit for data storage.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional electronic chart system using the electronic pen. The conventional electronic system includes: an electronic pen 10; a paper medical chart 20 in which a medical record is described by the electronic pen 10; and an electronic medical chart server 30 for receiving handwriting data of the medical record that is described in the paper medical chart 20 by the electronic pen 10. Additionally, it further includes an electronic medical chart 40 in which data is inputted based on the handwriting data from the electronic medical chart server 30.
In the conventional electronic medical chart system, correlating the paper medical chart 20 with the electronic medical chart 40 is performed by reading a 6×6 dot arrangement pattern printed on the paper medical chart, identifying an ID of the paper medical chart and position of the handwriting, and recording them in the corresponding electronic medical chart.
However, in the above conventional electronic medical chart system, medical information is assumed to be inputted or additionally inputted based on only the handwriting data representing the time change of the coordinate of the pen point on the paper medical chart. Accordingly, when the medical information is inputted with input means other than the handwriting data, for example, a keyboard or mouse of a PC, a data content of the information described in the paper medical chart does not coincide with a data content of the digitalized medical information.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of operation of the conventional electronic medical chart shown in FIG. 1. Moreover, the left side of FIG. 2 shows a flow regarding the paper medical chart 20, and the right side thereof shows a flow regarding the electronic medical chart 40.
First, the medical record is described in the paper medical chart 20 by the electronic pen 10 (Step a), and then medical record data is reflected in the electronic medical chart 40 based on the handwriting data that is recorded by the electronic pen 10 (Step b). Further, an additional medical record is described in the paper medical chart 20 by the electronic pen 10 (Step c), and then the handwriting data is reflected in the electronic medical chart 40 (Step d). These steps are basically repeated. However, if the handwriting data is attempted to be reflected in the electronic medical chart 40 (Step g) in the case where the medical record data is directly changed in the electronic medical chart 40 (Step e) and an additional medical record is further described in the paper medical chart 20 (Step f), there arises a difference between the medical record on the paper medical chart 20 and the medical record data recorded on the electronic medical chart 40. Accordingly, there arises a difference between the described contents.
The problem is not only limited to the electronic medical chart system but also to a system for changing electronic data via the two input means, electronic pen and keyboard of the PC.